Tag Archives: New beginning

2014 was definitely the weirdest year of my life. But I am thankful of the fact that I keep a journal, and by reading it I was able to remember what I learned and reflect on all that happened. Here are the seven lessons I learned in 2014:

Never stop learning new things: Whether you want to learn a language, start a project, or pick a new hobby learning something new is important for you. It keeps your mind preoccupied and it helps you grow as a person.

Lower your expectations: I know this sounds horrible and pessimistic, but it is actually (as I believe) one of the keys to happiness. Be honest with yourself, if we expect people around us to be saints and everything in our lives to go smoothly we will end up with a huge disappointment, and probably with depression too. I am not asking you to be negative but be a realist. Being realistic is a relative matter, it depends on your circumstances and how you live your life.

Befriend yourself first: if you want to be self-confident and have a great social life, you have to be friends with yourself first before you make friends with others. You need to get to know yourself better in order to know what you want in life. It’s okay if you go out alone to movies or have a cup of coffee by yourself.

Never say no to opportunities: always say yes to trying new things and having new experiences. At the end of the day what we remember is the good memories and we learn from the bad ones, but if we don’t take chances we won’t have either.

It’s not wrong to aim for the stars: it’s not a sin to want to live to your full potential and create a better life for yourself. Sometimes the people around you will be discouraging, but you’re the only one who knows how you should be living your life.

If you want to get something right you better do it yourself: it’s a simple rule to follow in your life; if you want something to be done perfectly and exactly the way you want it just do it yourself. There are certain things in life that you can’t rely on others to do for you.

When the glass is half empty it is also half full: sometimes you think that you’re having the worst time of your life, and that’s probably because you’re only looking at the “dim side”. After I read my journal I realized that I actually had more fun in 2014 than in any other year, which is weird because I thought I was having the worst year of my life. I was focusing on the negative things and didn’t see that I learned a lot and had a great time.

What if the life I am living is just a dream and someday I’ll wake up? The thought of having another chance to do everything all over again is very tempting, because I will know what to do this time around.

So this is it, the last day of 2013. This year has been a rollercoaster ride. So many ups and downs, but I sure enjoyed the ride. I feel that I achieved a lot and learned a lot during this year, and I definitely not the same person I was in 2012. This was actually the best year in my life so far. Reading my diary I realized that there were so many lessons learned. I wanna share these lessons with you. Here is the list:

Your health should be a priority.

Plan, plan, plan. You have to plan what you are going to do in next week, month, year…etc. Planning is important even if you didn’t follow the plan. It shows you where you are and where you wanna be. It makes it easy to see your goals and sort your priorities.

Sometimes some people will be hard on you, but it’s just because they want you to work harder to become better.

If you want to really know someone, stop listening to what people say about them and go find the truth yourself.

If you want to accomplish something or reach a goal you have to want it so bad, everything then will work out. Drink it in, breathe it, dream about it, and live it until it becomes your reality.

Some people are just there to waste your time with meaningless conversations and gossip. Either cut them from your life, or don’t give them more time than they deserve.

If you want to do something, just go for it (as long as it’s legal and not against your religion or beliefs). Life is too short, why wait?

If you woke up one winter day and saw sunshine, go out and enjoy it! Trust me it will help.

If there’s a certain activity that you don’t need or you don’t make much out of doing it, then just remove it from your schedule to find room for more important stuff.

Tough times will show you who your real friends are.

Gratitude.

Try to empathize more with others, show compassion even if you they’re not close friends.

There are some things in life that should be left as it is; it can’t be fixed. The same goes for people.

Stop being so hard on yourself.

There IS a light at the end of the tunnel.

Do not let anyone or anything distract you from your path.

Sometimes your brain should make the decision, not your heart. (Although a lot might disagree with me on this one).

Live in the moment, just live in the moment for God’s sake!

Learn to listen, people will appreciate it.

Help others, it will make you feel more human.

Spend more time with your family; these are precious moments.

Negative criticism, prejudice, suspiciousness, and apathy are BAD! They will eventually consume you.

Celebrate more.

There’s a thin line between interest and obsession.

Learn to give sincere compliments, it might make somebody’s day or even save a life.

Take things slowly.

Do not base your happiness on something or someone, because you might end up heartbroken or disappointed. Happiness always, and I repeat always, comes from within.

Forgiveness is important, but learning to apologize when you’re wrong is vital.

Learn to accept rejection; it’s not the end of the world.

Sometimes you need to take a time out, get away from everything, and just relax.

Make a time in your schedule to do the things that you love, it will keep you alive.

Spirituality is way more important than material possessions.

If a job is draining your energy and doesn’t teach you anything new, quit it if you can.

It’s not a shame to ask others for advice.

What works for others might not work for you. Stop comparing yourself to other people.

Learn to let go and move on; it is an essential part of life.

Most of the time it’s better not to get involved in other people’s personal choices or decisions.

Do not create delusions and live as if they’re real. It’s just in your head, so it’s your problem.

When you feel there’s so much pressure or stress in your life, start reading fiction or watch a drama series. It eases the pain of reality.

Keep a journal/diary/memoir/scrapbook…etc. It’s good for self-reflecting and keeping of memories.

Finally I wish you all a happy new year full of excitement, success, and good times.